Last Minute Changes / News

SWC on Tour

October - Macclesfield, Peak District: 4 nights/4 walks or 3 nights/4 walks with a very early train (new walks; for details see below)

Annual Events

Jan	Canary Wharf Light Festival
Feb	Snowdrops: SWC 353 - Knebworth Circular
Mar	Wood anemones: Book 1, Walk 15: Leigh to Tunbridge Wells;  Short 43: Lesnes Abbey Woods
Apr	Azaleas: 1-18: Sunningdale to Windsor - in Saville Gardens (Windsor): also Isabella Plantation (Richmond Park)
May	Bluebells : Late April-early May: 2 - 5ab: Tring to Berkhamsted via Dockey Wood and Flat Isley;  1 - 9: Shiplake to Henley via High Wood and Greys Court;  2 - 13e: Guildford to Boxhill; 1- 47: Ockley to Warnham.......and many more (see our Nature Blog) Early May: for late bluebells plus rhododendrons and azaleas: 1-42: Holmwood to Gomshall via Leith Hill Rhododendron Wood Ashwell at Home - for open gardens - Baldock Circular (SWC 91) - usually the 2nd Sunday in May (cancelled for 2021) Cow Parsley:  SWC 91- Baldock Circular ;  1-8: Bures to Sudbury
Jun	Apple Blossom: 1-28: Chilham to Canterbury;  SWC 299 - Teynham to Faversham;  1-36: Borough Green to Sevenoaks Buttercups: 1-8: Bures to Sudbury;  SWC 190 - Thame Circular Oxeye daisies: 1-10: Beaconsfield Circular  Leigh on Sea folk festival ~ late Jun Poppies: 2-22: Amberley to Arundel
Jul	Sandwich folk festival ~ 4 & 5 July Lavender: Late July - Short 23 - Banstead to Woodmansterne; 1-36: Borough Green to Sevenoaks ; also in Letchworth Garden City
Aug	Pride Parade in Brighton: ~ 1st Sat in Aug Heather: 1-27: Milford to Haslemere
Sep	Heather - and berries, fruits and nuts. Start of fungi (mushrooms) in woods LeighFolk festival(normally June) hosting a one off  "Garden gatherings" event Sept 3-5 2021. Free on Sunday 5 https://leighfolkfestival.com/leigh-folk-arts-announces-three-day-the-garden-gatherings-event-for-september/
Oct	Deer Rut - Bushy Park, Richmond Park Sussex Bonfires - Oct and Nov. Late October - early November: autumn leaf colour: SWC 140 - Wendover Circular via the Lee and Swan Bottom;  1-45: Princes Risborough to Great Missenden; 1-47: Ockley to Warnham
Nov	Brokham Bonfire, Lewes Bonfire, many "smaller" ones in Sussex
Dec	Christmas Fair: 1-7: Garston to St Albans
Note:	For a more comprehensive list of SWC walks with flowers, particularly our bluebell walks, please see the Nature Pages / Where to Find Wild Flowers

ABBA Voyage Concert

From 'Thank You for the Music' to ABBA's latest release 'Don't Shut Me Down' ....... this event needs no introduction.  For ABBA fans, this is a dream come true after 40 years of waiting. Tickets are on sale from September 7. 

Book August 8, 2022 at 7:45pm.   To book, please click here.  You can also view a short video from ABBA about the making of the Voyage album and concert with this link. 

Pre-concert meeting details will be posted near the time.  

Brighton Pride Parade 2022 and walk to Newhaven

Postponed again to Sat, 6 Aug 2022.

The parade starts from i360 tower on the sea front at 11am. A good place to watch would be the sea side of the seafront parade route, opposite the Holiday Inn on Little Preston Street. So a train to arrive in Brighton about 1015, or a little earlier as might be very crowded. It has a fun atmosphere, lots of rainbow clothing. Watch the parade go by, about an hour, then start walk along the coast. Lunch in Wethies overlooking Brighton marina (or if you can wait, Rottingdean has a seafront pub with outside tables overlooking the sea). Then through the Marina to the Undercliff path (passing a cafe or 2) to Rottingdean (pub), more undercliff path, then cliff top path to Newhaven Fort, harbour, town and eventually train station. l=swc.213

Scotland 2022: Braemar

Plans are afoot for Scotland 2022 and we are pleased to announce that we have secured a combination of properties on the Mar Lodge Estate  near Braemar from 14 May to 21 May 2022. The area has loads of walks to cater for various abilities. For more information on the area, see Braemar walks (Walkhighlands).

Please contact goepfertkarenATyahooDOTcom for more details about the trip and to check availability on group accommodation. 

Christmas at Kew

Fear Christmas might be cancelled again this year? Fear no more! If everything else is shutdown, this event may just survive and be the last one still standing.  

Join us for an exciting light show at Kew Gardens this Christmas as the magical winter trail lights up the evening skies.

Enjoy the after-dark festivities with friends, as you discover sparkling tunnels of light, dancing waterside reflections, and trees drenched in jewel-like colour on your way to the panoramic Palm House light display.  Walk under the stars and have a holly, jolly Christmas as seasonal sounds fill the air. 

Along the route, delicious independent street food vendors will offer tasty festive delights, from hot food and sweet treats to spiced winter warmers and hot chocolate. 

There are three gates to enter the event. Both Brentford and Victoria gate are now sold out for our event date and time.  Hence Lion Gate is chosen.   The gate is 10-15 mins walk along Kew Road from Kew Gardens tube station.  Tickets cost £21.5 plus booking fee.  

Please note this is a very popular event and is likely to sell out long before Christmas, hence the early notice.

To attend the event:  please click here to book your ticket,  book Lion Gate entry at 7pm.  

Meeting place:  Lion Gate at 6:50pm. 

Additional Information 

Last year, during the height of pandemic when nobody was vaccinated, Christmas at Kew was open and fully booked. They had an one-way walking trail and required mask wearing. I think the chance of cancellation this year will be pretty small.  However,  if you are worried about cancellations due to Covid,  Kew Gardens has a policy of exchange/refund. For more information, please click here.  I would recommend booking with your credit card rather than a debit card as you will have a better consumer rights protection with a credit card.  You can also purchase an insurance protection at the checkout for a small fee. 

Please note if you decide to enter from another gate, you may not find the group easily if they run one-way system as they did last year.

If you come by car, street parking in nearby streets around the Lion Gate is free in the evenings or you can also purchase a parking space provided by Kew when you book your entry ticket.  For details of parking zone, please click here 

Macclesfield, Western Peak District, 07-11 October (Covid-rules permitting)

Travel 

Trains from Euston take from 101 minutes. Off Peak returns are available for departures before 15.00 and after 18.30 hours. Advance tickets are now available. Friday Morning is treated as Off Peak on Avanti West Coast, so you could get to the start of Friday’s walk with the 07.20 train (arrives 09.05) without paying through the nose! Just saying…

Macclesfield Bus Station is a 4 minutes’ walk from the train station, up an incline (as is the whole Old Town: up an incline).

 

Accommodation 

booking.com gives a good overview of most options in town, but does not include your cheapest and most central one: the Travelodge, 3 mins from the station. 

 

Food & Drink near the station: a couple of tapas places, a Scandinavian-inspired restaurant, a Thai, an independent Italian Bar & Grill, and a Pizza Express. Plus, loads of pubs with or w/o food service, takeouts, cafes etc. Large shops: Tesco Metro, M & S Foodstore…

 

Exposure to the Weather 

All the walks include some exposed stretches, Days 1 and 4 the most. As two of the walks depend on buses and the other two benefit from buses (for shortcuts), it is likely that there will be little flexibility in the schedule, regardless of how good or bad the weather is on the day. The North West is amongst the wettest parts of England.

 

The following is a preliminary schedule, with the sequence of walks largely determined by the bus schedules as they stand now and by pub/café opening times, with a walk from/to Macclesfield in principle best for departure day but not really possible on the current bus schedule. It is already known though that Leek – Macclesfield will be served by a different company from 6 Sep, so this may all change (timetable not yet available online).

Thursday 07 Oct 

Arrival, meet for a stroll to get to know the town with food and drink following?

 

 

Friday 08 Oct

SWC 383 Macclesfield to Buxton (via The Cat & Fiddle), 25.2 km, 971/805m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 hours walking, with many options to shorten, mainly by using bus line 58 at the start or the end. Return from Buxton by bus line 58 (last at 18.06) [taxis won't cost the earth]. The walk: Dark Peak to White Peak via Tegg’s Nose Country Park, Macclesfield Forest, Forest Chapel, Bottom-of-the-Oven, Torgate Hill, Chest Hollow, The Cat & Fiddle, Shining Tor, Upper Goyt Valley, Berry Clough, Burbage Edge, Burbage, The Serpentine, Pavilion Gardens, Lower Buxton (town centre). Lunch pub and tea stops: yes.

 

Saturday 09 Oct 

SWC 381 Macclesfield Circular (via the Dane Valley), 28.9 km, 735m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 ½ hours walking, with options to shorten, either by using bus line 14 at the start to Sutton Lane Ends and/or at the end from Langley, or by utilising an in-walk shortcut. The walk: Macclesfield Canal out of town, pastures, several medium high easy ridges with fine views over the Cheshire Plain and the surrounding mountains and moorlands; a long stretch first in then above the very scenic Dane Valley. Lunch pub and tea stops: yes. Plus Wincle Brewery’s taproom. 

 

Sunday 10 Oct 

SWC 382 Macclesfield Circular (via Tegg’ Nose and Kerridge Hill), 24.7 km, 866m ascent/descent, 8 out of 10 rating, 6 ¾ hours walking. This walk shares the start of the Macclesfield – Buxton walk for 9 km and for a full 15 km in its Extended Version. Therefore, the suggestion will be to take bus line 58 up to The Cat & Fiddle and walk the rest of the Extended Version of this walk, which is just short of 17 km long and mainly downhill. The walk: from The Cat & Fiddle to Shining Tor, Lamaload Reservoir, Dean Valley, Rainow, Kerridge Hill Ridge via White Nancy, pastures with views, Macclesfield Canal into town. Lunch pub and tea stops: yes. This leisurely day should help to regenerate energy levels for the big walk on Monday.

 

Monday 11 Oct 

SWC 380 Macclesfield to Leek (via The Hollins, the Bollin Valley with several reservoirs, Macclesfield Forest, High Moor, Shutlingsloe [aka The Cheshire Matterhorn], Wildboarclough, River Dane by Gradbach Mill, Lud’s Church chasm, the Roaches, Tittesworth Reservoir and Brough Park Fields Country Park), 27.7 km, 934/876m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 ¼ hours walking, with options to shorten, i.e.: bus line 14 at the start to Langley or alternative endings for buses to Buxton and connections to Macclesfield. Return from Leek by new bus line X1 (timetable not yet available). The walk: as told in the completely over-the-top walk title. One of the very best SWC walks you will walk this year or any year. Lunch pub and tea stops: no (lunch) and yes (tea). A café for lunch only if the new bus schedule enables us to walk this on the Saturday or the Sunday.

 

Full walk posts will go up nearer the time, once the bus times have been confirmed.